In comments made to the press on September 22, 2010, White House Press SecretaryRobert Gibbs responded to the book by stating, "I will say I think that the book portrays a thoughtful, vigorous policy process that led us to a strategy that gives us the best chance at achieving our objectives and goals in Afghanistan." He also commented, "I hope people will read the whole book and see that we had a policy that -- and a situation in Afghanistan that had been neglected for seven years, that was badly under-resourced and desperately in need of new ideas and a new strategy. And the President shepherded through a process, again, that was thoughtful and deliberate and focused to come up with what was our best chance at success."[4]

In a video of Osama Bin Laden titled "Message to the American People", he recommends reading this book to gain insight into the mishandling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars by President Barack Obama.[5]

Carlos Lozada, also of the Washington Post, called upon Woodward for his reaction to learning that The Obama Wars was one of the books Navy SEALs retrieved from Osama bin Laden's final Abbottabad hideout, after they killed him in 2011.[6] Lozada quoted Woodward's comment that, if bin Laden had read his book more carefully, he would have returned to his mountain cave.